A lesson learned—keep it light and nimble!

Moab said:
How could you do this without that factory plastic piece to mount to? I dont have that on my 99. I guess just by the plastic part? What is it called?

I love this idea. At 6'3" even turning my mirror upside down isnt really enough.
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the plastic piece needs little slots in the windshield frame to mount in. So you'd either have to make some or get a newer windshield frame. I'd just piggy back off of one of the footman loop bolts with a standoff and mount the ram ball on that.
just a thought.
 
Moab said:
How could you do this without that factory plastic piece to mount to? I dont have that on my 99. I guess just by the plastic part? What is it called?

I love this idea. At 6'3" even turning my mirror upside down isnt really enough.
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Your application would be even better than what I have. The one con, using the '03 up plastic, is there's a little bit of vibration in the mirror. This is due to the plastic not being a rigid mount. Since you don't have that, you could use the supplied mount, pictured below, and attach it to the windshield frame. All you'd have to do is drill two small holes and rivet it to the frame. This would give you a solid mount, just like the windshield. You could try flipping the mount, to see which way works best.

20210804_141853.jpg


Edit: I say this with all seriousness. This stupid cheap modification is now one of my favorites. The visibility increase is incredible!
 
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Irun said:
Your application would be even better than what I have. The one con, using the '03 up plastic, is there's a little bit of vibration in the mirror. This is due to the plastic not being a rigid mount. Since you don't have that, you could use the supplied mount, pictured below, and attach it to the windshield frame. All you'd have to do is drill two small holes and rivet it to the frame. This would give you a solid mount, just like the windshield. You could try flipping the mount, to see which way works best.

View attachment 268994

Edit: I say this with all seriousness. This stupid cheap modification is now one of my favorites. The visibility increase is incredible!
Click to expand...
Very cool. I am definitely going to do this. I think i already have holes there i can tap into. That looks like a solid mirror too.

I also have an ugly paint piece on my windshield for placing the stock mirror. Im gonna get rid of that too.

Even with my mirror mount as high up on the glass as you can, and turned upside down, i still have to lower my head at lights to see when it turns green.
 
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Squatch said:
Anyone ever heard of this company, or know anything about their product? With all the talk about mirrors, I just thought I'd throw this out there...

The TJ Mirror Company - The Mirror Kits (google.com)
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I heard about them from kraft offroad on YT. He did a video of the install. It seems to be a great product especially for the price and I was planning on installing one. But now that I've seen the extra visibility the one @Irun's adds I'm not sure what I'll end up doing.
 
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I like the idea of keeping a stock look and would love to support a company like this but at the same time the other option is way cheaper, better visibility, and takes up less winshield space.
 
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Followed the herd and installed a set of Rugged Ridge door entry guards. The quality was better than I expected. Also, I took the doors off yesterday and went for a 150 mile round trip drive. I honestly couldn't be happier with the way it drives and handles. Everything works better than I expected and there is literally nothing I would change. Drove it up to 75 mph on the highway, with zero vibrations, and pushed it hard on the back roads. It stuck to the corners unlike any Jeep I've built before and never made me feel uncomfortable. I capped off the evening by meeting @SkylinesSuck at a local brewery. Good guy, great conversation!

All that said, lots of folks contributed to helping me put together the Jeep I knew could be built. For that I'm very, very grateful, and the journey isn't over with yet!
 
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I very much enjoyed chatting and drooling over your Jeep! It gives me all kinds of ideas on how I'll soon be spending time in the garage turning wrenches 😄 Next time we need to go for a spin FIRST then enjoy drinks second though (to clarify--we never got to test drive, not we went test driving trashed lol)! I'm very interested in how your shocks feel. I wouldn't be surprised if we start seeing more builds based on your overall idea here. The amount of lift and tire that's on it just looks right. I can only imagine the looks on some people's faces as you leave Jeeps on 33's and 35's in your dust on the trail.
 
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bobthetj03 said:
So I gather this is your seal of approval with the BM shocks?
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Thus far, an enthusiastic yes. The positive aspects of these shocks are hard to ignore and I can confirm all the items identified below, minus #8. I've had no need to test that one yet.
  1. Very reasonably priced
  2. Easy and versatile installation (Due to the Twin-Tube design)
  3. Rear Shocks can be mounted can up or down
  4. Well constructed, given to the low cost
  5. Perform excellent in a variety of low speed conditions
  6. Provides a soft and compliant ride
  7. Decent range of length choices
  8. Limited lifetime Warranty
To be fair, I don't have a lot of miles or time on these yet. However, with my experiences thus far, these will be my "go-to" shock, until they give me a reason to change my opinion. Lastly, I acknowledge there are better shocks available. However, you're going to pay four to five time more for them. And, a majority of us don't have a build that justifies the extra expense. As always, this is just one persons perspective!
 
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The Jeep is down for a while, minus the computer. The PCM, new SKIM, ignition lock cylinder, and three new keys are boxed up and shipping out tomorrow. Adding the SKIM isn't cheap, but it will give me more peace of mind from the casual thief!

20210813_165913.jpg
 
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It seems like you ended up getting 2.5” actual lift in the front after springs/spacer. Which aspect of your setup caused you to need the longer B8525 front shock? I know manufacturer recommended lift heights are usually incorrect, but where is the discrepancy here such that they recommend 4-5in lift for this shock?
Basically, how is it that you’re running longer shocks than other people with 2.5” of lift?
 
Ovaltine said:
It seems like you ended up getting 2.5” actual lift in the front after springs/spacer. Which aspect of your setup caused you to need the longer B8525 front shock? I know manufacturer recommended lift heights are usually incorrect, but where is the discrepancy here such that they recommend 4-5in lift for this shock?
Basically, how is it that you’re running longer shocks than other people with 2.5” of lift?
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My setup is far from standard. I've got a 24" length when the spring and spacer unseat. If I went with the 8516, I'd only have a 3.3" droop. Because of that I had to trade up travel for down. As it stands now, I have 4.25" up and approximately 5.5" down. Plus, I have a set of 3" Nth Degree Springs that will likely make their way on the Jeep at some point. When that happens, I'll be near perfect.
 
Irun said:
My setup is far from standard. I've got a 24" length when the spring and spacer unseat. If I went with the 8516, I'd only have a 3.3" droop. Because of that I had to trade up travel for down. As it stands now, I have 4.25" up and approximately 5.5" down. Plus, I have a set of 3" Nth Degree Springs that will likely make their way on the Jeep at some point. When that happens, I'll be near perfect.
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Right on. Is that 24” uncommon for this lift height - typically less?
 
A buddy and his friend stopped by to take a look at the Jeep. His friend has no skills to build one, but was knowledgeable about the TJ and became excited as we went over the things that had been done to it. When we finished chatting, he looked at me and said "I'll give you $X for this Jeep today". Suffice it to say that the Jeep and I are far from ready to part ways. However, I'll admit it was hard to turn down a very respectable offer to buy it! :(
 
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Don't you go getting tempted. If I know it's possible, I might get tempted to see how much more of a respectable offer it would take, and my current Jeep is jealous and demanding enough of my time! I don't need to give it another excuse.
 
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While I'm waiting on my computer, to have SKIM added, I installed a '03 automatic, non-SKIM, computer. Since the ignition lock cylinder is also out, I installed a new Dorman ignition cylinder. The replacement has a feature that allows you to easily code the new cylinder to your key.

To code the new cylinder it's as simple as:
- installing your key
- turn the new cylinder clockwise one full turn
- turn the new cylinder counter clockwise

The last step removes the new cylinder from the orange key coding drum. Once you remove the new cylinder, you simply install it into the supplied new barrel. Doing so requires you to look at how to do this, because it can only go in one way. Installing the completed new cylinder back in the steering column requires turning the key to a position where the tab will push in. Once you get to that point you can reinstall the cylinder into the column.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07D8BKR5M/?tag=wranglerorg-20
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